


Beyond the Village

by CastielWinchester



Series: Sanders Sides One-Shots [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Drabble, Fae & Fairies, Fae!Patton, Fear, Fire, Forests, Gen, Minor Character Death, Orphan!Roman, Pain, Panic, Raiders, yo this is totally a short story i wrote for a writing competition have fun reading it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 14:28:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielWinchester/pseuds/CastielWinchester
Summary: Roman's life was turned upside down when the raiders came to his village, and he lost everything... but suddenly, a wild Patton appears! Roman doesn't trust him, because who could trust a fae?





	Beyond the Village

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a short story competition (kinda open ended) and I decided to yeet it here. More writing practice than anything, but maybe it'll inspire you or something. (The boy is Roman and the fae is Patton, if you haven't guessed.) Hope you enjoy this little drabble.

Dark pummels of smoke flitted up into the night sky, blotting out the stars which once shone so bright and beautiful. Just below the clouds of smoke lie a little village that once stood as a strong and kind community, but now lays to waste as the last of the screams are swallowed up by the crackling of fire. The flames rose high, licking at the smog-covered sky. 

When the raiders attacked the small village, if they were just a tad sharper, they would have seen a young boy, no older than fifteen, slip away to the edge of the woods behind the building he once called home. But, perhaps if they were just a drop smarter, and their eyes caught sight of the small figure huddling behind a tree, they might not have even cared. They were only there for the village’s gold, and the people who died there were simply small casualties. So if one boy ran away, what did it matter? 

The boy, as it was, was too afraid to venture out farther than the tree of which he hid behind. He watched with wide, fearful eyes as the place he grew up was burned to the ground, the people he knew scream for quarter. But there was no mercy given as the flames grew ever higher and stronger, the smoke filling up the lungs of the innocent. 

Now, the only sound that sent fear all through the boy’s body more than the screams which filled his ears, was when he was met with utter silence. The screams had begun to die down, but no one was putting out the fire. That only meant one thing, and the boy wouldn’t dare think it, nor believe it for a moment. 

As a still quietude filled the night air, only the sounds of crackling fire and the occasional crash of yet another broken piece of a building falling, the boy could hear the screams still echoing in his mind. His mother, who had been ever so loving and kind as she raised him, whom he loved dearly, screaming at him to run and not return, to hide and not be found. The boy had only listened to her enough to conceal himself, but he felt he couldn’t leave. Now he believes he may regret that choice. 

Though he dared not dwell it, he knew that he had no place to go once more. The homes had all burned, and all the people… all the people were dead. Gone. Lost forever. He had nowhere to live, no one to go to. He had nothing, just like before. 

As the realization sunk in, he felt tears pool in his eyes before crumpling into a ball on the ground, tears pouring from his eyes. He should have stayed and died with everyone else, then perhaps he wouldn’t be so alone. For a moment, he mused the idea of walking straight into what remains of the fire and letting it consume him. The only thing that kept him from being so rash was the realization that since he wouldn’t have died at the same time as everyone else, if he did do it, then his spirit may still be separated from all the others. It would simply leave him alone once more on a new, unknown plane of existence. If that thought never came, he may have just walked into the flames without a second thought. 

Perhaps it was a devastatingly dark thought for a child at barely fifteen years of age, but once one considered what the boy had gone through, it would be easy to have the same thoughts. 

The boy didn’t know how long he sat there, curled up against the tree trunk, tears pouring as he hid his face in his knees. When he finally looked up, however, still sniveling, he noticed the fire had died down enough that the heat wasn’t searing into his skin despite how far off he was. He rose from the ground, and tried to gain his bearings once more.

He hadn’t a clue what to do next. 

The boy stood there for a few moments, lost in his own mind, before a voice broke through his thoughts. 

“Are you alright?” it asked softly, as if frightened to startle the boy. Despite the effort, the boy flinched at the sudden presence of another being. He whirled around to find the source of the gentle sound, and found what appeared to be just another man at first glance, perhaps twenty years old. If the boy looked just a tad closer, he would have noticed the subtle differences between that of a man and what this being actually was, but fatigue pulled at him, so he hadn’t given it another thought. 

After a moment, the stranger’s words sunk in, and after a few more moments he realized the man was waiting for an answer. The boy nodded, though he knew that wasn’t quite the truth. He discreetly hid his exposed and burned arms behind his back, hopeful the man didn’t notice. If he did, he didn’t say anything on the subject, instead simply nodding before timidly asking, “What happened?” 

The boy let the words into his mind, playing around with them and trying to think of a way to answer without letting his dam break and tears to spill once more. At the moment, he didn’t quite trust his voice, fearful that if he spoke his voice would only break and the tears would flow. To avoid it, he simply gestured to the ruins he once called home, the flames that once were sky high, now small and tired. A thought popped into the boy’s mind at that. How ironic. The flames, just like him, were once full of energy and ready to go, now tired and meek. He pushed the thought aside as he watched the man’s face, which seemed to sadden a touch, though he tried to hide it. 

“Do you have anywhere to go?” came his voice once more. The boy shook his head solemnly, no longer looking at the man for fear he could see water pushing against his eyes. With his head down, he didn’t notice the man advance towards him, for he was far too silent to be detected otherwise. So obviously, the boy was somewhat startled at hearing the voice above him, and even more so as it said, “Would you like to stay with me?” 

The boy looked up, his gaze meeting the stranger’s. Only now, so close, does he notice the differences. The way his aquamarine eyes sparkle a bit too much to be ordinary, the way his teeth were inhumanly sharp, like that of a predator as he smiled at the boy with such gentle sincerity. The way his curled blonde hair melded into such a beautiful yet unnatural baby blue, matching his eyes all too perfectly. HIs eyes widened with fear, and he backed up a few steps before tripping over a tree root, which sent him spiraling downwards into the dirt. 

The stranger jumped in alarm and first moved to help the boy, but ceased his movement when he saw the boy crawl backwards even more. They stayed frozen like that for a moment, staring at one another, before the stuttering of the boy broke the silence. 

“You- you’re a fae,” the boy spoke, words rigged and broken. The stranger - the fae - looked down at him with an unchanging look. 

“Yes, I am. What does it matter?” he - it - asked quietly. 

“What- what does it matter?,” the boy repeated incredulously, almost a laugh if he wasn’t so frightened, getting off the ground before backing up. “Just- just leave me be.

The fae sighed “But you are hurt.”

The boy stole a glance at his arms, the only area truly visible were his burns lie. “No, I’m not, I’m perfectly fine.” 

This earned a slight frown from the fae, one that told the boy his façade was not working, before it brought back its gentle, welcoming smile. “I suppose I understand if you don’t trust me, but you still need help, and there are no other people for many miles.”

“Why… why would you- you want to help me any- anyway?” the boy asked, cursing his stutter that refused to leave. 

“Why would you ask that?” the fae asked disbelievingly. “How could one leave in good conscious knowing you are wondering about the woods, injured and alone?” the questions left the fae’s lips with such honesty, the boy momentarily believed the fae only wished to help. He internally shook the idea from his mind, no fae would simply wish to help. “And in my forest, no less,” the fae continued with a bittersweet chuckle. 

The boy was taken aback. “Your forest?”

The fae nodded. “That is how I found you. I felt you enter my forest... along with the pain you carry.”

It felt as if freezing cold water suddenly spilled down the boy’s spine, a shiver ripping through his body at the very thought. By God, what a fool he was. He had not only come across a fae, but wandered into the forest of said fae. He stood frozen in place, knowing not what to do. As he stared at the fae before him, he almost thought he caught a flash of sympathy cross its face, but he would not allow himself to believe it. 

“I only wish to help you dear, and I dare not harm you,” the fae spoke gently. 

The boy looked to the fae, wondering what to do, what could happen. He stole a glance back at the rubble he once called home, watching the fae in the corner of his sight, but unable to look it in the eye.. He had heard that the fae were nasty tricksters, creatures that could lure you away from safety without so much as a bat of an eye. But… there was no safety left, was there? Safety was with other people like him, but the fae was correct - there was not a single human soul around for many miles. The raiders may be the only exception, but they would simply run him through on the spot. The boy knew he would not make it without help. The only thing around was forest, which went on nigh forever. If he traveled the forest alone, even if he survived the creatures that lurked there, he would surely get lost along the way. And… the fae cannot lie. 

Fae cannot lie. 

The fae had spoken a simple, plain statement, which held no trickery. The boy’s gaze flickered back to the fae’s unnatural sparkling eyes. The fae watched him quietly, awaiting any sort of reply other than a sign of fear. The fae’s eyes held and emotion the boy could not place, but it was not one that frightened him. He paused for another moment, one final thought crossing his mind. 

What other choice did he have? 

“You… you promise?” he asked hesitantly. The fae smiled at him, gentle and calming despite the fear gnawing away at the boy. 

“Promise.” 

The boy nodded then. The fae held out his hand for the boy to take, but before the boy’s hand clasped the fae’s, a question fell from his lips. 

“What shall I call you?” 

The fae considered this for a moment, before responding: “Pat. And you? How shall I refer to you?”

The boy quite suddenly had to hold his tongue, the polite habit of answering such a question with his true name coming back with bitter revenge. He pondered what the fae may call him instead of his true name, for everyone knows what can happen when a fae knows one’s true name. No matter how kind this fae seems, he doesn’t trust him with his true name. All at once, mother’s soft voice whispered in his mind, calling him by his childhood nickname. His mother came up with it due to all the grand adventures he had, simply from his imagination. The name echoed in his mind, and he spoke it aloud. “Princey.”

“Well then,” the fae - Pat – spoke, taking the boy’s hand. “Welcome to my forest, Princey.”


End file.
